The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-11-10
EUROPEAN DRINKS.
A BIcYCLIST WRITES CONCERNING
CONTINENTAL coNcocTloNS.

1 many ana the Conee OF Turkey.kng.
Hsh Mixed Drinks.
Whilst beer and ale might perhaps truth
fully be called the national beverage Of Eng
land even these days, it is far less 80 than it
was some years ago. Englishmen are taking
| very kindly Of late to mixed drinks, and
drink almost as much whisky in proportion
to malt beverages as We do. The mixed
drinks Of England differ very materially,
| however, from those of this country. Shandy-
gaf, mixture of ale end ginger, is favorite
drink among English athletes and frequentels
of race courses and summer resorts Another
odd mixture is known as dognose. Dognose
consists or two-thirds ale and one-third gin.
The consumption Of dognose is confined
| Chiefly to the lower classes. 1t is drunk mostly
by old topers, whose stoInachs have swilled
beer anu porter and 'sTf-and-'alf until these
comparatively mild beverages no longer suf-
flee to satisfy their craving. The addition Of
the fiery and penerative Old Tom makes a
combination that goes home every time in
spite OF their well seasoned condition.
The custom of drinking ale at meal times
in English families has made an unfavorable
impression among many American lady visi-
tors. But there is as much to be said in favor
of it as against it Mrs John Bull recipro-
Gates with even more horror at our pitchers
Of ice water on the table. Mrs. John Bull
would seem to have on her side the best of all
arguments, too, a robuster constitution and
fewer fleshly ills than her ice water drinking
sister,
ACROSS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL
What says Monsieur lie Frenchman across
the English channel! Beerl Take it away;
the barbarous stuff, fit only for the gross
palates of Germans and Albions. Whisky?
A little better; still altogether too gross and
solid for the mercurial Frenchman. His
favorite tipple is absinthe. This spirituelle
beverage floats around in Pierre Macelotte's
nervous system, tingles the nerves and causes
him to feel patriotic and sans souci. 1t causes
him to shout out in his imagination give la
Francep and "On to Berlin This is what
honest Pierre likes, and since absinthe brings
it about, he drinks good deal of it. Another
beverage is tea and rum. "The ct rum" is
favorite beverage with the French ladies, who
drop into cafes and sip it during the after
noon promenade or when out shopping. The
French table dhote Is familiar enough to
many Of Us here, with its inevitable bouteIr
de vim ordinaire. This vim orduaire, or com
mon claret, may rightfully be considered the
national beverage of La Belle France, for
everybody drinks it. Ii the common country
hotels it flows almost as free as water.
Passing into Germany, it seems hardly
worth while 10 remind the reader Of Ssrme:.
lager. Every body knows what is the Ma
tional beverage OF the Fatherland. Tho gooG
people OF some German cities well nigh live
On beer. The women drink almost as freely
of it as their husbands and brothers. The
saopgirl or miliiper's assistant in Munich will
rip into tbs reighborino beer hail ct noon,
and take for luncheon quart mug OF beer All
piece Of bread and a radish. In the eveniD,
she TeDders with her sweetheart into an C.
fresco beer garden and passes hour after hour
listening to the band and drinking beer. For
dinner she has probably consumed the second
CT third quart OF beer since morning and
Frankfurter sausage sandwich. The natura
result Of 30 much beer drinking in proportion
to solid food taken is to give the people of
Munich kind Of 1abby appearance, and to
make them drowsy. The whole city seems to
be in semi-comatose condition. The cab
mon fall asleep 50 often on their boxes that
the municipal authorities have found it neces-
sary to impose fines upon hackdrivers found
asleep at their post. Notwithstanding the
universal consumption OF beer, however, the
Germans of the weather. class drink good
deal Of schnapps.
HUNGARY-BULGARIA-T
Beer holds its own all through Austria to
beyond Vienna, but wine and liquors usurp
the throne again in Hungary. All down the
valley Of the Danube below Budapest the red
loan bluffs fairly ooze the rich wine of Hun
gary Every town and village has its ada
cent vineyards, and every village gosthaus or
city hotel has an al fresco vine garden. Here
the good people congregats Of an evening and
pass the hours away drinking wine, gossip
ing and listening to the weird music Of a
Hungarian Gypsy band. As in France, the
Hungarian peasant makes merry on red wine
that only the well 70 do Of most countries can
afford to drink ad lbitum.
Beer, wine and schnapps are common
enough all down through Slavonia and the
lower Danubian provinces, but a change
takes place when one gets fairly into the Bal
kan peninsula One now gets among the u1l-
speakable Orientals whose ways are not o.
our wavs. Sherbet. mastic and coffee IRE the
beverages OF Bulgaria, Roumelia and Turkey
The former may be merely glass of water
in which lump Of sugar has been dissolved
or may be connection OF fruit, sugar
and rose water, or Of various mixtures be
tween these two extremes. The drink called
mastic is said to be preparation of imported
Boston rum and gum mastic. 1t is vile
liquor, and about as deadly as the "bug juice"
of the Rocky mountain saloons, but makes an
agreeable tasting beverage when mixed with
several times its bulk OF water.
Hallway tcoffee), however, is the national
beverage of Turkey. 1t is served in tiny
cups, holding no more than couple Of table
spoonfuls each. The coffee is ground into fine
-four and used with such liberality that the
beverage is quite thick. 1t is served scalding
hot, and is imbibed by touching the lips eau
tiously to the edge Of tie cup and slipping Il
out with the WEAKNESS of a person who has
known all TOO often what it is to burn the
mouth. Thomas Stevens in New York Mail
and Express.